Passenger-stile for railways.



L. H. STEARNS.

PASSENGER STILE FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED Aue.7. 1914. o Patented; Feb. 13, 1917'.

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L. H. STEARNS.

PASSENGER STILE FOR RAILWAYS APPLICATION FILED AUG- 1, 1914.

31,21 61% Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

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L. H. STEARNS.

PASSENGER STILE FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 7. 1914.

m1 179. Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

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L. H. STEARNS.

PASSENGER STILE FOR RAILWAYS.

APPLECATIOH FILED AUG. 1. I914.

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Patented Feb. 13, 1917.

LOWELL H. STEARNS, 0F FITCHBURG, MASSACHUSETTS.

PASSENGER-STILE FOR RAILWAYS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 1L3, igilt.

Application filed August 7, 191%. Serial No. 855,894.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LOWELL H. STEARNS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Fitchburg, in the county of Worcester and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Passenger-Stiles forRailways, of which the following is a specification. 7

At the present time much diiiiculty is experienced in passengersentering and leaving electric cars, particularly at terminals, and alsoat certain stopping-places during rush hours, the passengers leaving thecar struggling for a passageway, and the passengers entering the earstruggling for the seats, and many accidents of greater or lessermagnitude happen during such times which the employees of the railwaycompany are powerless to prevent.

This invention has for its object the pro vision of a suitable stilewhereby an unobstructed passage-way is provided for the passengersleaving the car, and also unobstructed passage-ways are provided for thepassengers entering the car. Usually these cars have seats arrangedtransversely with an entrance at each end, being at each side of thecar, and it is with these cars in particular that my stile is designedfor cooperation.

In general my stile comprises a plurality of upright frame-sections,arranged in parallel relation, with spaces between them which spacesform passage-ways, and which in number correspond with the number oftransversely arranged seats in a car, and each passage-way is made longenough to provide standing-room for a number of passengers correspondingwith the 'number of passengers which may be seated on each seat of thecar, usually five. At the exit and preferably also at the entrance toeach passage-way of the stile a suitable gate is arranged.Operating-means are provided for the gates; and preferably all of thegates at the exits of the passage-ways are arranged for simultaneousoperation by said operating-means; and also all of the gates at theentrances to the passageways are or may be arranged for connection withsaid operating-means by suitable clutches, whereby they may or may notbe operated simultaneously with the gates at the exits of thepassage-ways, and in case the same operating-means is employed foroperating the gates at both ends of the passage-ways, the connections ofthe gates with the operating-means is or may be such that move ment ofthe gates at the opposite ends of the passageways will be in theopposite direction, so that upon closing the gates at one end of thepassageways the gates at the other end thereof will be opened, and viceversa.

Furthermore, separate clutch-means are or may be provided for the gatesat the entrances to some of the passageways for. connecting them withthe operating-means, whereby they may remain in open or closed position,as desired, during the operation of the other gates.

Furthermore, locking-means are or may be provided for some of the gates,whereby they may be held in a certain position, and, as here shown, saidlocking-means is associated with the clutch-operating-mechanism, so thata single lockingmeans may be utilized to look all these gates which arearranged for connection with the operatingmeans by the clutch which isoperated by said clutch-operating-mechanism.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a stile embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side-elevation and vertical-section of a portionof the stile.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged plan view of the supporting-ring for thehand-rails at the sides of the passage-ways.

Figs. 4: and 5 are enlarged detail views of the oscillating-head whichis arranged in a housing on top of each upright post of thestile-sections, which head supports a gate.

Fig. 6 is an end-elevation of the stile, the housing inclosing theoperating-means for the gates being represented in vertical sec tion toexpose said operating-means.

Figs. 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11 are enlarged details of the clutch and clutchoperatingmeans.

Fig. 12 is a plan-view of the means for the gates of the stile.

Figs. 13 and 14, respectively are side and end elevations of one of thehousings through which the gate operating-means extends.

Fig. 15 is a side-elevation of the gearing of the operating-means forthe gates.

Fig. 16 is an enlarged sectional detail of the clutch opcrating-memberassociated with operatingone of the arms on one of the oscillatingshafts.

1, 1 represents a pair of hollow boxes or housings which serve asbase-blocks for one of the sections. These blocks are designed to beplaced in a suitable flooring of concrete or other material and to bearranged suitable distances apart; they are fitted with covers 2. and atone of the top corners of each block an upright hollow post 3 iserected, and each post 3 has a ring 4 or other form of support at thetop, which ring has a pair of laterally extended ears 5, 5, formed withrecesses, and a bonnet 6 is arranged on said ring, likewise havinglaterally extended ears 7, formed with recesses, which ears rest on theears 5, 5, of the ring 4;, with the recesses in each arranged toregister with each other, thereby forming sockets. Said ring and bonnetforms a housing which is surmounted on the upper end of each uprightpost. Between said pair of upright posts 3, 3, a pair of horizontal bars8, 8, are arranged, and the end-portions of said bars enter the socketsin the head 6, which is arranged on said posts. A frame-structure isthus produced which is herein termed an upright-section. The stileinvolvesa plurality of these upright-sections, which are arranged inparallel relation, with spaces between them which serve as passage-ways,

said passage-ways being of a width and length sufiicient to affordstanding-room for several passengers. It is the intention to have thesepassage-ways long enough to afford standing-room for a number ofpassengers corresponding to the number of passengers which mayconveniently sit on each seat of the car, and as, at the present time,these seats are made to accommodate five people, hence the passage-wayswill be made of a length to afford standing-room for five people. Theupright posts are made long enough to support the horizontal bars at asuitable elevation whereby they are within easy reach of the peoplestanding between them, so that said bars may serve as handrails, and itwill be noted that as a pair of bars are provided for each section, eachpassage-way will be provided. with a pair of separate hand-rails. Aplurality of upright-sections are designed to be located at a terminalor stopping place of a car, and at a suitable distance removed from thecar to afford a passage-way extending lengthwise of the car between thecar and the adjacent ends of the sections, thereby providing apassageway for the people leaving the car. It is furthermore designed tohave the car stop with its seats opposite the passageways provided bythe upright-sections so that the people standing in said passageways maypass directly to and enter the car.

Each passage-way has a gate at each end and means are provided formoving said gate into closed and open position. As here shown, 10represents the gate at the exit of the passage-way. It is made as ashort section of pipe or bar, see Figs. 2 to 5, one

end of which extends through a slot in the housing 6 at the top of apost and is secured to a block 12, which is pivotally arranged in saidhousing, and movement of said block on its pivot is sufficient to movethe gate or cillatory shaft 19 at that side of the stile adjacent tocar, each passage-way has a gate 10, and means connected with said gate,substantially as aforesaid, which extends down through the upright poststo the crank-arms 18, and all of said crank-arms 18, are secured to theoscillatory shaft 19, which shaft is made continuous and extends throughall of the boxes. Upon a turning movement of the said shaft 19, all ofsaid crank-arms 18, will be moved, and all of said gates 10 will becorrespondingly moved to open and close the passage-ways. A crank-arm 20is secured to said shaft 19, prefreably at one end thereof, which isconnected by a link 21 to a rack-bar 22, contained in a suitablehousing, and which is suitably supported, and said rack-bar is arrangedin horizontal position and is engaged by a pinion 28, secured to a shaft24:, bearing a toothed gear-wheel 25, which engages a pinion 26, securedto a shaft 27, hearing a toothed gear-Wheel 28, which is engaged by apinion 29, secured to a shaft 30, to which a crank-arm 31 or other meansis or may be connected. By this form of gearing the rack-bar will bemoved, thereby to move all of the gates 10. This gearing and rack-barand connections with the shaft 19, serve as and constitute a means foroperating said shaft, by which said shaft is turned in either directionat will, thereby to open or close the gates 10.

At the opposite ends of the passage-ways, which form the entrancesthereto, similar gates are provided, which are made as bars and extendthrough slots in the honsings 1, 6, on the upright posts. The gates Tare secured to blocks as 12, pivotally arranged in said housings, whichblocks are loosely connected by links as 17 with arms secured to a shaft50, all substantially the same as the corresponding parts or elementsheretofore described. In view of the fact that it is sometimes desirableto leave these gates 40 in open or closed positions, and sometimesdesirable to move them simulemme taneonsly with the gates 10, the sameoperating-means may be employed for moving them, but clutch means isprovided for connecting the operating-means with the shaft 50, in lieuof having a rigid connection, as heretofore described. As here shown, 51represents an arm which is loosely mounted on the shaft 50, which arm isconnected by a link 52, with the aforesaid rackbar 22, to be moved byand with said rackbar, and the hub of said arm is formed with aclutch-engaging face, and a clutch-member 55, is slidably arranged onthe shaft 50, having a clutch-engaging face for engagement with theclutch-engaging face of the hub 51, and said sliding clutch-member 55,

is splined to the shaft, thereby turning with it, and when an engagementwith said member 51 connects said member 51 with the shaft, so that theshaft is oscillated by and with said member. As a means for moving saidsliding clutch-member 55, along on the shaft into and out of engagementwith the member 51, a sliding member, here shown as rotatable-member 62,said member having a square end-portion 63, adapted to receive a crankor other tool by which to rotate it and thereby move its pin 61 in thearc of a circle in the transverse slot, and to move the plate.longitudinally. Said plate 58 is arranged to extend over the adjacentarm 15 which is connected with the shaft 50, which arm is connected by alink with the oscillating-1nember bearing the gates, and said plate hasa projection 65, arranged for engagement with said arm, when the plateis in a certain position, as for instance, when the clutch-member isdisconnected from themember 51, thereby to hold said arm in itslowermost position with the gates in upright position, and, as severalof the other gates at the entrances to the passageways are similarlyconnected with said shaft 50, they will also be held in uprightposition, but when said clutch operating-plate is moved to cause theclutch-member to engage the member 51 for the purpose of cansingoscillation of the shaft 50, said projection 65 will have been moved outof engage ment with said member, thereby permitting oscillation of theshaft.

The stile is made as long as the longest car which is used by therailway company, but in many instances the company uses some short cars,and hence it is desirable to arrange for leaving the gates at the entrances to certain passage-ways in closed position. To accomplish thisresult a separate clutch-mechanism is or may be pro vided for some ofthe gates, whereby to connect their arms 45, with the oscillatory shaft50, clutch-mechanism constructed the same as the clutch-mechanism shownin Figs. 8 to 11, may be employed for this purpose, which it is notdeemed necessary to further describe.

I claim:

1. The stile herein described consisting of a plurality ofupright-sections arranged in parallel relation with spaces between themforming passage-ways, bars arranged to extend across said passage-ways,oscillating heads to which said bars are connected, an oscillatingshaft, means connecting said heads with said shaft, and means tooscillate said shaft.

2. The stile herein described consisting of a plurality ofupright-sections arranged in parallel relation with spaces between themforming passage-ways, bars arranged to extend across said passageways,oscillating heads to which said bars are connected, an oscillatingshaft, means to connect the heads with and disconnect them from saidshaft and means to oscillate said shaft.

8. The stile herein described consisting of a plurality ofupright-sections arranged in parallel relation with spaces between themforming passage-ways, gates connected with said sections at each endthereof, arranged for opening and closing the ends of the passage-waysand operating-means for said gates, the operating means to which all ofthe gates at one end of the passage-ways are connected being arrangedfor simultaneous operation, and a clutch-means for connecting the gatesat the other ends of the passageways with said operating-means.

4. The stile herein described consisting of a plurality ofupright-sections arranged in parallel relation with spaces between themforming passageways, gates connected with said sections at each endthereof, arranged for opening and closing the ends of the passageways,operating-means for said gates, and means arranged to movesimultaneously the gates at one end of each passage-way in onedirection, and the gates at the other ends of the passage-ways in theopposite direction.

5. The stile herein described consisting of a plurality ofupright-sections arranged in parallel relation with spaces between themforming passage-ways, gates connected with said sections at each endthereof, arranged for opening and closing the ends of the passage-ways,operating-means for said gates,

and means to disconnect some of the gates from thelr operatinganeans.

6. The stile herein described consisting of a plurality ofupright-sections arranged in parallel relation with spaces between themforming passage-ways, gates connected with said sections at each endthereof, arranged for opening and closing the ends of the passage-ways,oscillating shafts arranged coextensive with the sections, at each endthereof, means to connect the gates with said shafts and means arrangedto operate said shafts to move the gates.

7. The stile herein described consisting :1 pl irality ofupright-sections arranged in parallel relation with spaces between themforming passagerays, gates (50111160. =d with said sections at each endthereo ranged for opening and closing the ends 0 the passage-ways,oscillating shafts arranged coextensive with the sections, at each endthereof, means to connect the gates with sald shafts, and means tooscillate said shafts in opposite directions, thereby to more the gatesatone end of the passage-ways in one direction and the gates at theother ends of the passage-ways in the opposite direction.

8. The stile herein described consisting of a plurality ofupright-sections arranged in parallel relation with spaces between themformingpassage-ways, gates connected with said sections at each endthereof, arranged for opening and closing the ends of the passage-waysoscillating shafts arranged coextensive with the sections, at each endthereof means connecting the gates at one end of the passage-ways withone of the shafts, clutching-means arranged to connect the gates atthe'other ends of the passage-Ways with the other shaft andoperating-means for said shafts,

9. The stile herein described consisting of a plurality ofuprightsections arranged in parallel relation with spaces bets sen theniforming passage-ways, gates connected with said sections at each endthereof, arranged for opening and closing the ends of the pas sa e-ways,oscillating shafts arranged coextensive with the sections at each endthereof, opcrating-means for said shafts, means to connect the gateswith the shafts, means connecting one of the shafts with theoperating-means arranged to connect the other shaft with saidoperating-means.

10. The herein described stile comprising a series of horizontallyspaced uprights, spaced parallel bars carried 0' upright,

the adjacent bars of adjacent uprights forinone stile-way, and gatescarried by the uprights and bridging the space between such adjacentbars.

ln testiinon} whereof I have signed n name to this specification, in thepresence 0' two subscribing witnesses.

LQl ELL H. S" liriltl'lfl;

Witnesses JOHN B. FELLOWS, RALPH H. l amas.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

